Changzhou "shortens" skyscrapers, wants to be on the UNESCO list

Beijing - The Chinese resort Hangzhou is preparing to "cut off" the upper floors of luxury seaside hotels and other tall buildings in order to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This was reported today by the AP agency.
    The plan to restore the original appearance of this 2000-year-old city is to be implemented by the end of April next year, local government websites stated.
    According to the China Daily newspaper, all structures exceeding a height of 24 meters will have to be trimmed down. The intervention will also affect the famous Shangri-La hotel, where suites cost several thousand dollars per night, as well as the television tower, local authorities confirmed. It has not been specified how many buildings will be affected in total and how radical the reductions will be.
    China applied for the registration of the mentioned picturesque area covering 70 square kilometers, which stretches around West Lake, on the UNESCO heritage list back in 1996. Without success.
    Hangzhou was the capital of China in the 12th and 13th centuries, and its coastal monasteries and other historical complexes already attract crowds of tourists each year.
    However, the number of interested visitors could significantly increase if the city manages to join the ranks of the 37 existing Chinese sites, such as Beijing's Forbidden City or the Great Wall of China, which are already listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.